Sen. Ted Budd, R‑N.C., has introduced legislation to boost the use of artificial intelligence in agriculture. His Fostering Agricultural Research and Modernization through Artificial Intelligence Act, or FARM AI Act, directs USDA to promote the use of artificial intelligence and help small and medium‑sized producers adopt AI systems.
The bill, introduced May 21 with five bipartisan co-sponsors, was referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee. It would require USDA to designate AI as a priority research area for improving precision agriculture, crop production, farm management and workforce training.
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The measure also calls for USDA to appoint someone from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to serve as an Artificial Intelligence Agriculture Advisor to help implement the bill and guide the agriculture secretary on AI issues.
AI is also referenced in the House‑passed farm bill, which calls for USDA to support development of the technology.
AI and machine learning are already showing early promise in the field. Iowa State University research found AI‑enabled sprayers that use cameras and onboard computing to target weeds can cut herbicide use by an average of 76% and save about $15.70 per acre.
Livestock applications are emerging, as well. Smart‑camera systems can monitor hoof lesions and gait changes in dairy cattle and correctly identify individual cows with 98.9% accuracy, though 16% were not identified after seven days of monitoring.
